Look at the whole picture. What part of the plant is being affected? Just the leaves? Branch dieback? What environmental stresses are at play? Poor Drainage? Too much overhead irrigation?
For a disease to take hold, three components have to be in place:
The Host Plant
The Right Environmental Conditions
The Disease Organism
What is the condition that favors the disease? All life forms must have certain environmental conditions to exist. For example, St. Augustine Brown Patch needs St. Augustine Turfgrass, temperatures between 55-80 degrees, moist/humid conditions, and poor draining soils. Once the disease is correctly identified, why it occurs and when, then you can win the battle.
Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab
Dr. Larry Barnes at Texas A&M offers a great plant disease diagnostic service to correctly identify what the problem is and how to treat. Call (979)845-8033 for details.
